Collating machine

ABSTRACT

A sheet collating machine is provided which includes a plurality of parallel storage compartments for the generally vertical arrangement of individual stacks of sheet material. A collecting means is positioned above and adjacent to the upper ends of the storage compartments for collecting simultaneously the extended top sheet from each stack and arranging these sheets into a properly ordered set. A direct drive cam-follower mechanism provides a feed means for simultaneously extending the sheet from each stack. An eccentric cam moves a spring biased follower which is rigidly secured to an elongated carrier member. Individual push members which are positioned with respect to each storage compartment are pivotally attached to the elongated carrier member and are positioned to contact the top sheet in each compartment. The follower and elongated carrier member move as a single unit in a path which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the storage compartments. Automatic raising means is provided to simultaneously position all push members to provide easy access for stacking materials within the compartments. A plug-in type control module for coordinating operation of the feed and collecting means and signalling an error in the individual collated sets is provided.

United States Patent [191 Kircher Mignano 270/58 Primary Examiner-RobertW. Michell Assistant Examiner-A. Heinz Attorney, Agent. or Firm-JosephW. Molasky 571- ABSTRACT f A sheet collating machine is provided whichincludes 1 June 24, 1975 a plurality of parallel storage compartmentsfor the and adjacent to the upper ends of the storage compartments forcollecting simultaneously the extended .to'pssheet from each stack andarranging these sheets into a properly ordered set. A direct drivecamtollower mechanism provides a feed means for simu1- tane'citislyextending the sheet from each stack. An cccentric cam moves a springbiased follower which is rigidly'secured to an elongated carrier member.individual push members which are positioned with respect toeach storagecompartment are pivotally attached to the elongated carrier member andare positioned to contact the top sheet in each compartment. Thefollower and elongated carrier member move as a single unit in a pathwhich is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the storage compartments.Automatic raising means is provided to simultaneously position allpush'members to provide easy access for stacking materials within thecompartments. A plug-in type control module for coordinating operationof the feed and collecting means and signalling an error in theindividual collated sets is provided.

13 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures t a '7 i4 8 29 I9 I V 3i i Loiloiloilpilcitoiloilciloilo q cT'T'o o '00 oo .7 \gSa r 9 1 t 4* -4 A,n\\ A .rl\ A. n\ it IEEZTBEIE ti -3.2: 1

49 52 7' so to J 53 1 COLLATING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention is directed to a device for automatically collating andassembling sheets of material. More specifically. it is directed to adevice for collecting and stacking a single sheet of material from eachof a plurality of material stacks wherein the sheets are arroper ordesired order-to form' a complete The upper end of each compartment isopen. The Iongitudinal axis of the compartments forms an acute anglewith a line normal to the longitudinal axis of the machine; A collectingmeans situated above the paper storage compartments; simultaneouslygathers the sheets of material which are raised in an extended fashionfrom theindividual compartments in order to stack the sheets in thedesired order. A feed means disposed below the storage compartmentsmoves the top sheet of each stack upwardly into a position where it canbe collected by the collecting means.

The feed means is composed of a plurality of elongated push memberspivotally attached to an elongated carrier member that is situatedparallel to the longitud ito the other sheets to attain a complete'setof sheets having the desired order. This method, although exnal axis ofthe machine. The upper end of each push member includes a frictiondevice to aid in the gripping of the topmost sheet of each stack so thatit may be m'ovedinan upward direction. A cam and follower i meansis-provided as the moving force for the elonical devices have beenutilized. These devices have the disadvantage of being expensive andoccasionally experience trouble with mechanical malfunctions andinopfunction causing missed sheets or extra sheets to be inserted intothe individual sets. Because of this. the sets can be inaccurate orimproper without any indication of an error.

It is also well known in the prior art to provide machines which utilizea plurality of sheet storage compartments arranged parallel tothemselves. A belt or roller type collecting mechanism is arranged incombination with the compartments for assembling the sheets as they areissued from the individual stacks.

Various types of feed mechanisms for separating the individual sheetsfrom the stacks have been suggested. In some cases. a cam-followermechanism to actuate push elements is individuallypositioned inconnection with each compartment. These devices utilize pivots and linkswhich either move the push members perpendicularly to the longitudinalaxis of the machine or move the push members in a pivoted or arcuatepath with respect to the compartments. Major disadvantages have beenfound with this type of mechanism due to gated member which is attacheddirectly and rigidly to the follower member. As the eccentric cam isrotated, the follower and elongated member are moved in a directionwhich parallels the longitudinal axis of the stortheir unreliableoperation and feeding or separating of the sheets from the stacks.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Due to the many disadvantages that have beenencountered with the prior art devices, an object of the presentinvention is to provide a collating machine which is both reliable inoperation and inexpensive to manufacture.

A further object is to provide a feed mechanismfor a machineforeollating sheet material whereby the individual sheets are reliablyseparated and fed from the individual stacks to form the desiredcollated sets.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a g collatingmachine wherein a minimum of moving parts The collating machine includesa plurality of generally upwardly extending paper holding compartments.

An automatic raising device is provided on the clongated member to lifteach push member to facilitate stacking of the sheet material within thestorage compartments. Another feature of this invention is the inclusionof a modular type control unit for controlling the operation of thecollating machine. This control unit is arranged to beeasily replaceableby use of a plug-in modular arrangement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Other objects of this invention willappear in the following description and appended claims, reference beingmade to the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specificationwhere like reference characters designate corresponding parts in theseveral views.

FIG. I is a"perspective view of the collating machine of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view in diagrammatic form showing the sheetfeeding mechanism for the collating machine;

FIG. 2a is apartial side elevational view in diagrammatic form showingthe compartment loading reset mechanism:

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the collating machine;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the machine taken along the line 4-4 ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view showing a sheet of material feedinginto the collecting mechanism;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the cam-follower mechanism; a

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the base'of the storage compartmentmounted on the frame of the machine; 7

FIG. 8 is 'a partial sectional view of the support pin 1 DESCRIPTION orSPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS As can be seen in FIG. I, the collating machine Iof the present invention is mounted on a support frame 2 which includesleg members 3. Any type of support arrangement can be provided and isnot generally-considered as part of this invention. Within the frame 2of the machine 1 is'positioned a plurality of generally upright t pairs19. 22 which serve as a collecting means 14 for the sheet material. Theupper roller 19 of each pair has a plurality of endless belts 24threaded so as'to encompass all of the upper rollers. The belts 24 arespaced transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the rollers19. 20 and provide a collecting means 14 for gathering the sheets fromthe individual compartments 4.

A basket or shelf 18 is disposed at the machine end 6 for collecting theorderly stacked sheet material as it is gathered and issues from thecollecting means 14. A mechanism (not shown) can be provided which iscoordinated with the feed or drive mechanism 10 to reposition the shelf18 and change the position of the individual sets issuing from themachine so that they will be indexed and separated to correspond witheach cyclic it actuation of the machine feed mechanism 10.

The drive for operation of this device is provided by two separatemotors 8 and 58. such as electrical motors. The motor 8 is mounted nearthe top of the machine 1 and is connected to the endless belts 24 of thecollecting means 14 by means of a drive means 7 such as a belt or thelike. The motor 58 is located in the lower portion of the frame 2 and isdrivingly connected to the feedmechanism by means of a drive means onthe side opposite the open side of the compartment 4 can be provided(see FIG. 7). The side guide 390 is movable" transversely with respectto the compartment 4-for properly positioning the stacked material 9with respect to the adjacent collecting means 14. Thus. the sideguidej39a and the length of the compartments 4 can be made adjustable toaccommodate various sizes of material sheets.

At the open end of each compartment 4 is arranged a deflector plate 26having a lip 27 and mounted by bracket 25 for guiding the sheet material9a and directing it into the vertically aligned collecting roller pairs19.22 (see FIG. 5). The uppermost roller 19 is supported on a pair ofpivoted members which are hiased by means of a spring 23 to hold theupper roller 19 in a position against the stationary lower roller 22. Atone end of the machine is located a vertically aligned pair of rollers28. 29 that are biased into contig- 59. such as a belt or chain. Themotor 58 can be ar-,

ranged to be operated in cyclic fashion wherein it is started andstopped after one complete cycle or it can be arranged to operatecontinuously providing stacked sets as long as the motor is energizedand sheet material is available in the compartments.

it is to be understood that. if desired. a single motor for driving thecollecting means 14 and feed means 10 through suitable transmissionmeans can be provided. The advantage of this arrangement is thatsynchronized speed control is possible to provide a more uniformcollating operation.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a plurality of paper storage compartments or bins 4arranged parallel to each other and positioned with their longitudinalaxes arranged in a generally upward direction. lt has been found that ifa longitudinal axis is positioned ;at a slight acute angle B withrespect toa line normal to the longitudinal axis of the machine. thesheets can be feed more efficiently and reliably. in the presentembodimentthe compartments 4 are set at an angle B of 13. However, thedevice has been found to work satisfactorily if this angle liesgenerally within the range of about 10 to about 16 degrees.

The compartments 4 are generally fabricated from a single piece of thinsheet material 39 which forms a base and which is attached to the frame2 by means of support 40. The top portion of the compartments 4 is leftopen as well asat least one side. These openings allow for easy accessto the compartments 4 for the purpose of stacking the sheet material 9.

At the bottom of each compartment 4 is provided a lip or projection 41to support the bottom edge of the stacked material 9. in the presentembodiment, a pair of pin or bolt members Mr: are arranged for thepurpose of the support. A side guide support 39a mounted uous contactingarrangement with each other.

A plurality of endless belts 24 are threaded around the uppermost roller19 in each pair. in the present embodiment. three belts 24 of generallynarrow width are spaced in side-by-side relationship around theuppermost rollers 19. Belts 24 provide a continuous c0llccting surfacemeans for moving the individual sheets of material along the collectingmeans whereby they are gathered and stacked ona shelf 18 at the end ofthe machine. Shelf 18 is attached to the end of the machine by means ofangle bracket 17 and brace 15 attached to the end frame member 11 by abracket 14.

The angle of the deflector plates 26 is provided to extend across thedepth of the respective compartments to properly deflect the top oruppermost sheet of each stack 9 and guide it into the respective pair ofrollers 19. 22. in the arrangement shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. the sheetsare collected between the roller pairs 19. 22 and moved from right toleft with each sheet riding on top and overlapping the sheet next to it.Thus. the sheets issue from the end 31 of the collecting means 14 inproper stacked order in relation to the respective positions of theindividual stacks of material placed in the storage compartments. Thepositioning of the stacks within the proper compartment determines theorder of the individual sheets issuing from the collecting means in thisembodiment. the collecting means is mounted on a separate framework 37which is pivotally supported on the axis of the roller 36. By raisingthe f ramcwork 37. the open end of each compartment 4 is exposed foreasy insertion or removal of the individual stacks of material.

Below the storage compartments 4 and extending across the entire underedge of the compartments 4 is an elongated member or bar 44. Member 44is generally held in position by the guide members 50 and 51 which areattached to the bottom frame member 12. Push' members 42 extend upwardlyand are pivotally attached by pins 45 to the elongated member 44. Aseparate push member 42 is provided for each paper storage compartment4. At the upper end of each push member 42 is a friction device 43 (seeH08. 9 & lit). The friction device 43 is made from a soft resilientmaterial such as rubber. felt. or the like. and is attached to the upperend of each push member 42 by a spring loaded screw adjustment 43a.Taming the adjusting screw 43a clockwise applies additional force to thefrietion member 43 to restrain it and prevent it from lifting.

A biasing means such as a spring or elastic band 46 can be used to holdthe push member 42 and friction device 43 in contact with the top sheet9a of the material within the compartments 4."T he length ofthe'pushmember 42 is usually adjustedtof'permit'the friction j member 43to engage the shcet19 a at a point whichis approximately one-fourthofthei overall length. from its lower edge; .This position; is'generaliyjnot'critical but is The feed mechanism is powered byaneccentric rotating cam 54' and a follower member 52 positioned incontact with the cam. The.,motor' 58 mounted on plate 57 drives asprocket 58a which in turn drives the chain 59. The chain 59 is threadedover a sprocket 59a which is attached to the shaft 544 upon which thecam 54 is mounted (See FIGS. 3. 4 and 6). in this embodiment. the cam 54is designed so that amovement of approximately four inches will beeffected by the follower member 52.

The follower member 52 is provided as an elongated bar or strip ofmaterial which is positioned generally parallel to the elongated carriermember 44 and the longitudinal axis of the machine. An extension member49 is rigidly secured to both the elongated carrier member 44 and thefollower member'52 to securely fix these members into a single rigidmovable unit. 7

The extension member 49 is positioned so as to be parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the storage compartments 4. Bracket guides 50. 51attached to the bottom frame 12 of the machine maintains the slidingmovement of the extension member 49 in a direction parallel to thecompartments 4. A slot in the guide 50 and 51 is provided which closelytits the cross section of the extension member 49 to allow the extensionmember 49 to slide yet provide a minimum of transverse movement orwobble in the elongated carrier member 44.

The follower member 52 is biased on a line which is generally parallelwith the extension member 49 in order thatthe follower 52 is held incontinuous contact with the cam surface. Biasing means can be of anytype desired such as a spring or the like and. as shown in FIG. 3. canbe attached to the end of the follower 52 in order to provide clearancefrom ,the cam 54.

Upwardly extending from the elongated carrier member 44 are brackets 69and 70. Brackets 69 and 70 include a bore or slot at their upper endsand slidabiy support a guidance or raising rod 60. A ring or block 70for each push rod is adjustably' fixed to theralsing rod 60(Therefore,as rod 60 is moved to the right. as seen in FIG. 9. each push rod'42will be raised and moved pivotally towards-the right. Thus. the frictionmember 43 on each push rod 42 will be elevated from the sheet materialstored within the paper compartments 4.. I

As can heseen in H0. 2a. an actuating means such as an electricalsolenoid 66 is suspended at one end of r the elongated carrier member 44by the bracket 48. The solenoid armature 67 and extension rod 64connc'cted by pin 68 are attached to theraising rod 60 by means of amember 61 pivoted at 62. A slot and pin 63 6 a is provided at the end ofthe extension rod 64 to allow for pivotal movement of the bar 61. A ringor block 65 is adjustably mounted on the raising bar.p to contact thepivotal arm 61 in order to symove -t'he"'raising bar 60.-A counterweight47 is positioned'on theopposite end of the elongated member 44 1 tocounterbalance the weight of the actuating means 66 and to'preventthe'car'rier member from turning. This feature minimizes the wear on theextension member "[ltis'to be understoodthat the cam 54 and follower 52can be ofany material suitable for this purpose. such as aluminum.steel. plastic.-etc.' The guides 50 and 51 which slidably support theextension member 49 can be l5 provided in a harder material such ashardened steel or the like to reduce wear and to maintain the desiredtolerances. g g

The present. machine is intended to operate at a proximately 3,600 setsper hour. This speed can be varied. however. as desired depending uponthe number of sheets in each set and the size of the individual sheets.

As an additional feature of this machine, a control g means or unit isprovided to control and coordinate the cyclic operation of the feedmeans with respect to the vides a detection function (not shown) forascertaining that on each feed cycle a single sheet of material was fedupwardly to the collection means from each bin. if a sheet is missed orseveral sheets of the same type are moved into the collection means, themachine is stopped or a warning device is actuated to call attention tothe fact that the collated set is incorrect. Thus. it can be assuredthat each collated set is correct and has the proper number of sheets inthe desired order. The control unit is intended to be designed in theform of a modular plug-in arrangement so that a defective control unitcan be easily replaced with a known good unit. as desired. lnthis way. aminimum of down-time can be experienced with this machine.

While the collating machine has been shown and dc scribed in detail. itis obvious that this invention is not to be considered to be limited tothe exact form disclosed in that changes in detail and construction maybe made therein within the scope of the invention with- 5 out departingfrom the spirit thereof.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, whatis claimed is:

1. A machine for collating sheet material into desired order} fromindividual stacks. including:

- a. a pluralityof storage compartments disposed at an angle to thevertical for storing individual stacks of sheet material. and

g b. feed means for simultaneously separating the outer sheet of eachstack in eachstorage compartment whereby saidsheets can be collectedinto individual .sets of properly ordered sheet material.

c. said feed means comprising a push member extending upwardly withineach compartment and t which includes a frictional device which rests onthe top sheet ofthe stack .contained therein. said push member having anend pivotally attached to an elongated carrier member which is part of arigid single unit assembly comprising:

l."a follower arm positioned below and parallel to the said carriermember.

. 2. an extension which rigidly joins said carrier member and saidfollower arm. and

collecting means. In addition; this control means prog 3. guide meanswhich slidingly engage said extcnsion to constrain said extension tomove at a constant angle essentially parallel to the angle of thestorage compartments.

said assembly being driven up and down by drive meanspartments are at anangle of from about to about 16 from a line normal to the longitudinalaxis of the said machine.

4. The machine of claim 3 wherein the angle is about 13.

5. The machine of claim 3 wherein the single rigid unit assemblycomprises: (l) a longitudinal elongated carrier member; (2) a followerarm positioned below and parallel to the said carrier member; and (3) anextension which rigidly joins said carrier and said follower arm a,tabout their longitudinal mid-points, and wherein the said extension isat an angle which essentially paral lcls the angle of the storagecompartments.

6. The machine of claim 5 wherein the extension member is held inposition by guides which slidingly engage the said member.

a 7. The machine of claim 5 wherein thefollower arm is in direct contactwith and is powered by an eccentric rotating cam.

8. A machine as defined in claim 1 which includes a means for raisingthe push'members from contact with the sheets of material, and whereinsaid raising means simultaneously engages push members for movement to aposition away from the storage compartment means whereby unobstructedaccess is provided to facilitate the stacking of additional sheetmaterial within each storage compartment. p 9. A machine as defined inclaim 1 wherein said feed means includes means for controlling thelength of the individual sheets that simultaneously extend from thecompartments whereby they may be collected automatically when directed.10. A machine as defined in claim 1 wherein the control means isdisposed as an interchangeable module whereby a replacement controlmeans may be quickly 'substituted when necessary for repairs or thelike. it. The machine of claim 1 in which the compartments are at anangle of about 13.

l2.A machine. including a frame. for collating sheet a material intodesired order from individual stacks comprising;

a. a plurality of adjacent compartments equal in numher to the sheets tobe collected. each compartment being adapted to accommodate a stack ofsheets of a single page in the order which they are to becollated.saidcompartments being inclined at an angle of from about ID toabout 16 from a line normal to the longitudinal axis of the machine;

b. an elongated push ..'member extending upwardly within eachcompartment and having at one end a frictional device which rests on thetop sheet from each stack soas to effect a separation of the said topsheet from .eachsta'ck in order to present them to collecting rollers.each push member being pivotally attached at its opposite end to anelongated longitudinal carrier member; c. a rigid single unit assemblycomprising:

l. the elongated longitudinal carrier member of (b) above, 2. a followerarm positioned below and parallel to the said carrier member, and 3. anextension which rigidly joins said carrier member s'lfd said followerarm and wherein the said extension is at an angle which is essentiallyparallel to the angle of the storage compartments and isheld in positionby guide means which slidingly eligage said extension at a constantangle; d. a powered rotating eccentric cam for accuating the rigidsingle unit assembly of (e) above. via direct contact of said cam withthe follower arm. said cam having a fixed axis with respect to the framewhereby the profile of said cam. causes an upward and downard movementof said assembly so that the motion is transferred to said push memberswhich, by their upward movement, push the top sheets of each stackupwards into collecting roller pairs: a

e. in collecting means which superimposes the sheets of (d) in thedesired order and conveys them to a ments are at an angle offrom about10 to about l6 from a line normal to the longitudinal axis of the saidmachine. 7 i i i

1. A machine for collating sheet material into desired order fromindividual stacks, including: a. a plurality of storage compartmentsdisposed at an angle to the vertical for storing individual stacks ofsheet material, and b. feed means for simultaneously separating theouter sheet of each stack in each storage compartment whereby saidsheets can be collected into individual sets of properly ordered sheetmaterial, c. said feed means comprising a push member extending upwardlywithin each compartment and which includes a frictional device whichrests on the top sheet of the stack contained therein, said push memberhaving an end pivotally attached to an elongated carrier member which ispart of a rigid single unit assembly comprising:
 1. a follower armpositioned below and parallel to the said carrier member,
 2. anextension which rigidly joins said carrier member and said follower arm,and
 3. guide means which slidingly engage said extension to constrainsaid extension to move at a constant angle essentially parallel to theangle of the storage compartments, said assembly being driven up anddown by drive means operatively connected to said follower arm.
 2. afollower arm positioned below and parallel to the said carrier member,and
 2. A machine as defined in claim 1 wherein the compartments are at aslight acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the machine.2. an extension which rigidly joins said carrier member and saidfollower arm, and
 3. A machine as defined in claim 1 wherein thecompartments are at an angle of from about 10* to about 16* from a linenormal to the longitudinal axis of the said machine.
 3. guide meanswhich slidingly engage said extension to constrain said extension tomove at a constant angle essentially parallel to the angle of thestorage compartments, said assembly being driven up and down by drivemeans operatively connected to said follower arm.
 3. an extension whichrigidly joins said carrier member and said follower arm and wherein thesaid extension is at an angle which is essentially parallel to the angleof the storage compartments and is held in position by guide means whichslidingly engage said extension at a constant angle; d. a poweredrotating eccentric cam for accuating the rigid single unit assembly of(c) above, via direct contact of said cam with the follower arm, saidcam having a fixed axis with respect to the frame whereby the profile ofsaid cam causes an upward and downard movement of said assembly so thatthe motion is transferred to said push members which, by their upwardmovement, push the top sheets of each stack upwards into collectingroller pairs; e. a collecting means which superimposes the sheets of (d)in the desired order and conveys them to a receiving device where thesheets are gathered and stacked, said collecting means consisting ofvertically aligned roller pairs with an endless belt which when driven,produces a continuous longitudinal movement, with the uppermost rollersbeing held on a bias so as to weigh on the said belt and bring it firmlyinto contact with the stationary rollers or with the sheets engagedbetween said belt and said rollers; and f. a receiving device in whichthe succession of collated material is stacked.
 4. The machine of claim3 wherein the angle is about 13*.
 5. The machine of claim 3 wherein thesingle rigid unit assembly comprises: (1) a longitudinal elongatedcarrier member; (2) a follower arm positioned below and parallel to thesaid carrier member; and (3) an extension which rigidly joins saidcarrier and said follower arm at about their longitudinal mid-points,and wherein the said extension is at an angle which essentiallyparallels the angle of the storage compartments.
 6. The machine of claim5 wherein the extension member is held in position by guides whichslidingly engage the said member.
 7. The machine of claim 5 wherein thefollower arm is in direct contact with and is powered by an eccentricrotating cam.
 8. A machine as defined in claim 1 which includes a meansfor raising the push members from contact with the sheets of material,and wherein said raising means simultaneously engages push members formovement to a position away from the storage compartment means wherebyunobstructed access is provided to facilitate the stacking of additionalsheet material within each storage compartment.
 9. A machine as definedin claim 1 wherein said feed means includes means for controlling thelength of the individual sheets that simultaneously extend from thecompartments whereby they may be collected automatically when directed.10. A machine as defined in claim 1 wherein the control means isdisposed as an interchangeable module whereby a replacement controlmeans may be quickly substituted when necessary for repairs or the like.11. The machine of claim 1 in which the compartments are at an angle ofabout 13*.
 12. A machine, including a frame, for collating sheetmaterial into desired order from individual stacks comprising; a. aplurality of adjacent compartments equal in number to the sheets to becollected, each compartment being adapted to accommodate a stack ofsheets of a single page in the order which they are to be collated, saidcompartments being inclined at an angle of from about 10* to about 16*from a line normal to the longitudinal axis of the machine; b. anelongated push member extending upwardly within each compartment andhaving at one end a frictional device which rests on the top sheet fromeach stack so as to effect a separation of the said top sheet from eachstack in order to present them to collecting rollers, each push memberbeing pivotally attached at its opposite end to an elongatedlongitudinal carrier member; c. a rigid single unit assembly comprising:13. The machine of claim 12 in which the compartments are at an angle offrom about 10* to about 16* from a line normal to the longitudinal axisof the said machine.